Constructivism

Where did Constructivism originate from?

1930 and not IR.

Basic of C?

meanings produced by social and political interaction like the Bengal famine

What is the pimrary issue

migration blamed on no economic growth since 2008 but global migration flow is tiny in comparison to legal migration to Britain.

Wendt The Cold War

raised the question what ended TCW which led to the idea that TCW was just a concept.,

What was an ideological change for Wendt?

• Different generation of scholars

• Key philosophical figures emerging.

• Agents and structures are mutually constituted

Alexander Wendt quote

Anarchy is what states make it to be,

Mainstream Constructivism and Realism similarity

Sees states as the principal units of analysis but rejects the structural basis of realism. Agrees about the centrality of the principle of anarchy

What does Wendt about anarchy?

anarchy has no property on its own - has different cultures because it is states interaction and belief which determines the anarchical conditions.

What is dependent on identities?

States can be friends, rival or enemies. Therefore, security dilemmas are not inevitable.

What are the three orders of anarchy?

Hobbsian H

Locking

Kantian

What is the Hobbsian order (everyone fighting)

States are characterized by enmity and interact by threatening each other with violence without limit.

Lockean (reduce fighting but no empathy)

States are characterized by rivalry and interact by competing with each other in a limited and calculated manner.

Kantian - empathy and interaction

• States are characterized by friendship and interact by forming alliances that exclude violence and encourage collective action against threats.

What is Wendt’s four types of identity?

Perosnal/Corporate identity

Type identity

Role identity

Collective identities.

What is personal identity

Self generated

What is a type identity

characteristics which actors might share with one another but are not dependent

what is a role identity

shared culture expectations of state behaviour emerge

what is collective identities

sense of self and others becomes merged

what are the limits of conventional constructivism

states as the main actors, not looking how states are produced before put in the intl real,

Limitation of Wendt’s argument

the social construction of international politics is more complicated

Identity in Critical Constructivism?

it is more than a variable

What are states?

States is what anarchy makes. Therefore a reciprocal relationship.

What are the main assumptions for critical constructivism?

reality is socially constructed and state identity is independent of the international, states are ‘imagine communities’ because you don’t know everyone else

Where did ontological security from critical constructivism derive from?

R.D Laing (psychologist)

What is Ontological Security (Time dependent)

having a secure sense of self and how you fit into this world.

what is an example of ontological security?

individuals are happier in war than peacetime because theres a goal, mission and purpose.

What can our desire for Ontological Security lead us to?

to support actions that undermine our physical security, looking to political projects.

What is the task of critical constructivism? - more radical and questioning the construct of the state

to denaturalise the common sense assumptions about IR.

What does constructivism underplay? it’s not a substantive theory is it

material factors like economic power, military capability and geographical constraints

What is constructivism concerned with

human consciousness and identity

What is the post war danger

that constructivism neglects how power ripples